Business: Present and Future Shock

Among the nightmares that might disturb the sleep of any professional
stock trader is the vision of seeing himself replaced by a computer.
The fear is real, even if the prospect is not immediate. Computers
could easily match buyers' bids and sellers' asking prices, record
deals and make entries in the accounts at least for routine
transactions. On the nation's stock exchanges, however, securities are
still bought and sold in face-to-face auctions, partly because of the
entrenched interests of their members and the encrusted practices of
history.